Reviews for Unix Network Programming: Interprocess Communications v. 2

1. The real power of UNIX is in communication

   Rated 5 out of 5 stars, September 12th, 2005

   The real power of UNIX or any application for that matter is in interprocess communication. I found early on that to accomplish any large project would require the cooperation of interprocess communication. Now I find that simple administration skills also require knowledge of this interprocess communication.

   My first foray into the field was to use semaphores to flag processes to run at the proper time. Later I needed to use pipes for a front-end in communication to SNA. Again I found IPC's could help inform and control processes that were in canned packages and not accessible any other way. The list of useful tools can go on and on. I also had to find the NT equivalent as it became popular.

   UNIX is still out there in many forms and if one is to survive in the field an understanding of interprocess communications is imperative.

   The Abbreviated Table of Contents:
   Part 1. Introduction
   1. Introduction
   2. POSIX IPC
   3. System V IPC
   Part 2. Message Passing
   4. Pipes and FIFOs
   5. Posix Message Queues
   6. System V Message Queues
   Part 3. Synchronization
   7. Mutexes and Condition Variables
   8. Read-Write Locks
   9. Record Locking
   10. POSIX Semaphores
   11. System V Semaphores
   Part 4. Shared Memory
   12. Shared Memory Introduction
   13. POSIX Shared Memory
   14. System V Shared Memory
   Part 5. Remote Procedure Calls
   15. Doors
   16. Sun RPC
   Epilogue
   Appendix A. Performance Measurements
   Appendix B. Threads Primer
   Appendix C. Miscellaneous Source Code
   Appendix D. Solutions to Selected Exercises
   Bibliography
   Index

   One final note is that with systems dispersed globally Remote Procedures Calls are taking precedence in Interprocess communications.

2. This book is NOT about using networks in Unix

   Rated 5 out of 5 stars, March 12th, 2001

   THIS volume is about networks in the sense of communicating processes - running mostly, though not exclusively, on the same machine.

   If you want to know about using networks like TCP/IP, you need Volume 1.

   If you want to know about using pipes, synchronisation etc. the examples and explanations are clear and well thought out. If you don't need quite the same depth 'Advanced Programming in the Unix Environment' by the same author covers much of the same material

3. Excellent book on Unix Interprocess communication

   Rated 5 out of 5 stars, January 12th, 2001

   Most of the reviews here seem to imply this book is about sockets and TCP/IP. This book covers Unix IPC and describes the subject in detail. If you want to know all about sockets, you want Unix Network Programming, Networking APIs Sockets and XTI, which is Volume 1

4. Good but not thorough.

   Rated 3 out of 5 stars, November 12th, 1998

   I didn't get exactly what I needed out of this book. It's good as a reference, but I think it leaves out some information on different topics. The IPC section is a little skimpy, but then again it's not a book about IPC per se...some of the stuff the way it was written was not any more understandable than a manpage, and often you buy books hoping that they are worded less cryptically than manpages. On the upside, I got most of what I needed out of it.

5. As always, Stevens is worth every penny.

   Rated 5 out of 5 stars, November 12nd, 1998

   Ok, I will admit to be biased. Stevens is a unix programming god. Or mine anyway.

   However, I will dare say that again he has improved his previous good work. I felt that he improved and showed a lot more in his second edition of Volume I, and I felt the same way about volume II. While his was HARDLY the first serious book on thread programming that I have read (I also suggest programming with Posix Threads, if it interests you), his was very informative, from both a beginner and advanced standpoint. If you have only one author to buy, this is it.